Cityscape on Camera: Prague, Czech Republic

It's time for round two of my six-week European vacation post series, which I have affectionately dubbed my "European extravaganza." (You can even search #europeanextravaganza on Twitter and Instagram to see my posts from the trip, though I know I'm not the only person on social media who has thought of that alliteration haha.) This post is also part of my Travel Tuesday series, so feel free to link up with any travel-related posts you've written in the past week at the bottom of this post. :)

We spent less than two days in Prague, which was easily the most beautiful city we visited during the trip, but we were still able to see just about everything by taking advantage of a free walking tour (which we were then sure to make a habit of during the rest of the trip). Below is one of my favorite pictures from our short time in the Czech capital, then continue after the jump to read and see more:

Cityscape on Camera: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Welcome back to Travel Tuesday! As I mentioned last week, the next few months of Travel Tuesday will be occupied with recaps of my recent six-week trip to Europe. Today, I'm sharing photos from the three days I spent in Amsterdam. My last day as a traveling consultant for my sorority was May 10, so I flew from my sorority's headquarters in Atlanta to Amsterdam with my boyfriend to meet up with my sister, her boyfriend and my brother. My sister and brother had already enjoyed some time in Switzerland and Italy together, but Amsterdam would mark the beginning of our trip as a fivesome. I'll start this post with my absolute favorite picture I took in Amsterdam during our stay:

A bicycle, tulips and a canal: How more quintessential Amsterdam can you get?! Continue reading after the jump to see more pictures of this beautiful city.

Literary Junkies: July 2013

Enjoying Sharp Objects and a cold drink during my Fourth of July vacation.

It's the third Tuesday of the month, which means it's time for the Literary Junkies link-up! Although I'm active on the Facebook and Goodreads groups, I haven't participated in the link-up for a while, so hopefully this can now become a monthly occurrence. Read on for this month's literary questions and my answers.

A Year in Review: Life as an LC

Although I left my sorority's international headquarters on May 10, my last duty as a Leadership Consultant for Alpha Delta Pi just ended in Dallas this weekend, as the other consultants and I worked at the biannual Grand Convention.

This year was a whirlwind to say the least. For anyone who isn't Greek—or even those of you who are Greek but never experienced a consultant visit—this job probably sounds ridiculous. Some of us affectionately call ourselves "professional sorority girls," but really we serve many purposes: event planners, conversation experts, recruitment gurus, confidants, handywomen, and—of course—leadership consultants. No matter the specific purpose of our visit, we always met with the collegiate sorority officers to provide suggestions, analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the chapter, and develop detailed reports and chapter goals to help the organization continue to improve.

I already shared several of the things I learned during my first semester of this position, and now I'd like to share a few more:

Summer 2013 Book Challenge: The Preliminary List

The Semi-Charmed Summer 2013 Book Challenge starts today! Unfortunately, I am already about 20 pages into a new book that I'm really excited about, so I want to finish that one before I start the challenge, but this is what I'm hoping I can read in the next three months:

Semi-Charmed Summer 2013 Book Challenge

Photo via Ongering on Flickr

The Semi-Charmed Book Challenge is back for summer 2013! The challenge will follow the same rules as the winter 2013 challenge, and it will run from July 1 to September 30. See below for the full list of rules and categories, and thanks to all my readers who submitted category ideas!

Travel Tuesday Contributor: Angie Eats Peace

Okay, I lied. I only have four guest posts for you while I'm gone, but say hello to Angie from Angie Eats Peace! She is my fourth and final guest blogger during my European extravaganza, and I'm so glad she agreed to share her travels with us! Today she is sharing stories and pictures from China. If all is going according to schedule with me, I am chilling in Granada, Spain, right now! I probably won't be able to get any posts scheduled for the next two weeks, but I'll be returning to the blog at the end of the month when I make it back stateside. :) Read Angie's guest post after the jump....

Travel Tuesday Contributor: A Country Girl's World

Welcome back! My third guest blogger during my European extravaganza is Jenn. She describes herself as a lover of both books and travel, so her experiences definitely belong on Semi-Charmed Kind of Life! Keep reading to learn about her trip to Central America and see some pretty awesome pictures. (By the way, I should be flying from Rome to Seville today if everything is going as planned!)

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Hey Ladies! I am Jenn and I blog over at A Country Girl’s World. I am a 24-year-old student, I studied Anthropology at JMU, and I am now studying Criminal Justice/Crime Science Technology. I live in the middle of nowhere in Maryland and I love to read and travel. Today I am going to be talking about travel. :)

In 2009, I got the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica with JMU as part of the Alternative Spring Break program. If any of you readers are still in college, and your college offers this program, DO IT! It was an incredible experience.

This is our group in Harrisonburg before leaving for Dulles

Travel Tuesday Contributor: Just Another Smith

It's time for another Travel Tuesday guest post! Today Andi is sharing some quick packing tips for a weekend away. If all is going as planned with my trip, I'm on a plane to Athens, Greece, right now. :) Wish me luck!

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Hi there!  I'm Andi and I blog over at Just Another Smith.  Most of my posts are about my everyday style, with some random stories thrown into the mix and maybe a book review now and then.  I'm pretty jealous of Megan's adventures in Europe.  I love to travel, and would go on vacation every week if my budget allowed it.  My most recent trip was a quick weekend to Arizona with two of my best friends.  Here are some tips on what to pack for a four-day weekend adventure:

Travel Tuesday Contributor: Ech & Will

A huge thank you to Ech for being my first guest blogger while I am traveling this summer! She actually lives in Italy, so read on for some insider tips to a great local spot! And be sure to check back every Tuesday for more guest posts about fabulous trips around the world.

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Hi, I'm Ech from Ech & Will. I'm a proud Air Force wife living in Italy with my husband, Will. Our blog is all about our adventures in traveling, marriage, the military, and everything in between. Right now my husband is deployed, so lately I've been blogging a lot about just me. I love making connections with new people so stop by when you get a chance and say hi!

Now that the weather is getting better and better, it’s time to start planning lake and beach trips with our friends. One of our favorite spots is Lake Barcis (pronounced like March with a “B” and “is” like the beginning of Istanbul). We literally drive through the Italian Alps to get to Barcis. The tunnels are so long they have huge industrial fans throughout to keep air flowing. There’s pretty much everything there: hiking, camping, boating, boardwalks to stroll, a playground, big grassy areas to spread out over, picnic tables … everything.

The water is glacier-fed (a.k.a. really, really cold), so there are not a lot of swimmers. But it’s great for a quick, refreshing dip on scorching days. Every once in a while, the town will host speedboat races and concerts. I think last year they held a crash course for people who wanted to try out canoeing.

Usually the vibe is relaxing. Everyone is just lounging around, soaking in the sun. As with most of Europe, the women sometimes go topless. It’s rare, but we’ve seen a few brave women baring it all. Usually the Americans are tossing a football or Frisbee around while the Italians like to circle up and play “Keep It in the Air” with a soft volleyball or mini soccer ball.

Every time we visit, the lake looks different. The first time, it was a greenish color.

Last May it was bright, almost-glowing blue.

And in the fall it was a murky white color from the recent rain.

I like to wander into town for a gelato (see below), so so perfect for hot days … or cold days. If we don’t plan ahead and bring a cooler, there are a few restaurants and shops to grab food or drinks. It’s a really small town, so there’s not a ton of things to do, but it has the essentials. Parking can get a little tricky on the busy weekends, but we’ve never had a problem finding a spot. If you’re in the Aviano area, I highly recommend spending the day up at the lake.

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Thanks again for sharing your photos and experiences, Ech! Follow her on Twitter at @EchandWill.